No, Natura hasn't emailed me back but the website does say...
Here is what I found about raw diets:
The case for raw
* Provides a fresh diet, without preservatives
* Raw bones are not dangerous. They are soft enough to bend easily and
break well for the dog to digest
* Clears up long-standing allergies
* Fewer visits to the veterinarian for health reasons
* Eliminates dog odour
* Naturally cleans pets' teeth
* Produces much less stool, and stool is firm and disintegrates easily
* Mirrors what a dog would get in the wild
* Develops jaw, neck and shoulder muscles
* Pets have more energy
* Reduces arthritis
* Better weight control
* Pets live longer
* Bitches manage pregnancies better
* Better weight and survival figures in puppies
* A healthy pet fed on raw food manages the bacteria found in raw meat
The case against raw
* All health claims are anecdotal, not the result of long-term research
* Concern about the nutritional balance of these diets. It can be difficult
to formulate a balanced homemade diet in the best of circumstances
* High protein and very high fat diets (fat contributes 40% to 70% of
calories)
* Can be low in calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, iron, manganese and
magnesium
* Can have unbalanced calcium : phosphorus ratio
* Can have excess vitamins D, E, zinc and magnesium
* Questions about quality of ingredients
* Concerns about health
* Raw bones are dangerous for the pet
* Secondary hyperparathyroidism
* Dermatosis (zinc)
* Anemia (iron)
* Orthopedic conditions (Calcium/vitamin D)
* Bioavailability (excess zinc)
* E. Coli/salmonella often found in raw meat
There is so much you can screw up in a raw diet, not to mention the E. Coli/Salmonella that can be present on the meat. That means that it would be in your dogs mouth, in the food bowl, in his feces etc. I would be scared that my daughter would get E. Coli or Salmonella from playing with the dog, letting him lick her face etc.
I would advise using Grapeseed Extract. It kills all of these bacterias, therefore making it safer to feed raw.
Good Luck!![]()
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